Best ball joints? troubles with new Lemforders

[mikedjames]

I would be careful playing with a power drill to burnish the joint.
There is a fair amount of plastic bearing surface in modern joints and spinning the ball may just melt the plastic and either make it really tight or very loose.

My fairly new ? Lemforder balljoints started squeaking, creaking and stiffening so I pulled the boots back and pushed more moly grease in them by hand .
It was like all the grease in the boot was sitting there looking at the joint and doing nothing...
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Ancient vehicles and vessels

1974 VW T2 : Devon Eurovette camper with 1641 DP T1 engine, Progressive carb, full flow oil cooler, EDIS crank timed ignition.
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[SGKent]

idea - if the ball joints are too tight, that is kind of like having a steering dampener built into the ball joints. Why not use an adjustable steering dampener on the light adjustment until the ball joints loosen up.

Yes - all of the cutaways of different brands of ball joints have plastic in them. I'd like to know what a Delphi ball joint looks like as a cut away.
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[jeb1978]

So on the "bench" test mentioned a few times in this thread about trying to turn the studs with the heads in a vice...

I purchased a set of 4 Nakata's based on various recommendations this past summer. All of them act the same in a vice, you can spin down the lock nut without turning the stud. I can't turn the studs by hand, but you can grab the flats with an 11 or 12 mm wrench and spin the studs with some effort (not a huge amount but it takes a full hand on the wrench, not just a finger).

Not sure what other folks experience with these parts are. I understand they are new and this method isn't very scientific.

The Febi (made in Germany) ball joints put on my bus in 2005 are still tight after 10k or so miles... the steering will not return to center after turning, you have to turn the wheel back to center. I'm tired of the notchy steering. I drilled the tops, added grease zerks, and put 5-10 pumps of grease in each one. Far as I can tell so far, this has made zero difference, but I've not put a great deal of miles on them, maybe 500 or so.

I have a 1968 bus I'm trying to get driveable... it has the original VW stamped ball joints with the threaded inserts. A good flushing with fresh grease has them where they move freely back and forth and rotating nicely. It definitely takes less effort to turn the front wheels lock to lock (when the front end is in the air) than the 1969.
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1969 Westfalia 1600 Single Port

[jtauxe]

As part of the double cab refit, which included a full rebuild of the front suspension (even down to new Delrin bushings for the torsion leaves), we installed a set of Nakata ball joints, fitted with grease fittings.

So far, so good, though I have completed only the first 500 miles of break-in.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[SGKent]

where are there delrin bushings in the leaves John? The only bushings I am aware of are the inner bushings that sit inside plastic sleeves, and the needle bearings on the outside. Did you put a Teflon style sheet between leaves like is done on high end carriage style leaf springs?
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[raygreenwood]

[wcfvw69]

The VW community should do a go fund me for a retired member who would take this project on. Buy one all the 'best' currently sold VW bus ball joints. Then cut them apart like that vendor did to see how they are constructed and what material were used. Before cutting them up, put each ball joint on a vise with the nut on the stud. Get a beam torque wrench and socket on the nut and measure the pounds it takes to turn the stud.

If I need ball joints for my bus again, I'd look at the Napa professional series or the high dollar ones offered on Rock auto vs. the craptastic "German" ball joints sold by most VW parts vendors.
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[Sawspa]

I got these in the mail today. Anyone seen these, or used them? Its from one of the vw vendors. The made in china sticker is killing me. They were $13 each

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1978 Westfalia Campmobile 2.0L oversized ham heads and a stepped up cam, running points and a 76 exhaust "Lefty Loosy"

[skills@eurocarsplus]

the flying OE emblem is Chinese for "ahh fuk you round eye" I have been forced to use that junk in the past. most notably was brake shoes. the arc as so bad that about a 3/4" pad in the center of the shoe actually touched the drum. after re-arcing the shoes I got about a 98% contact patch and the bug actually stopped...

that said...it's all Chinese anymore. it's all the same shit different packaging
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[Amskeptic]

[orwell84]

[wcfvw69]

[raygreenwood]

[SGKent]

thanks Ray
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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[a57oval]

I bought the Nakata's.
I am thinking of putting them in a vice and rotating the shaft to check for "drag" . Questions is how much is too much drag? I will compare the new Nakata's to the Lemforders and verify the Nakata's are easier to move but how easy is the question.
Peter

[skills@eurocarsplus]

there isn't a spec for that. best you can do is wind the nut on until it stops and use an inch pound torque wrench and see what the break away torque is. the smaller the number will be the least amount of resistance...which is what we want here.

not 100% accurate but close enough for what we are doing
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[raygreenwood]

[Gruppe B]

I did a test to see if people want to buy crap even when you tell them it's crap.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2232094

So far so good, as no one asked to purchase

I think that if vendors are honest and state that you can save 20 bucks on Meyle China or whatever parts initally but that it will break in like 6 months compared to a real quality part then people will make a better informed choice.

This is a great thread showing the difference between good and crap and as long as we keep complaining sooner or later someone will start making good parts again...

[cdennisg]

[Xevin]